Planning Ahead

Summer is quickly winding down. The days are shorter. The nights chillier. Soon the woods will be ablaze with color and we'll be into the thick of college football season. Of course, in typical Michigan fashion, it will be 95 degrees here tomorrow. Seriously, you can't make this shit up.

All of this change hasn't led me to abandon warm-weather pursuits -- I'm going to try to stretch my cycling season well into October, and I figure there's at least one more smallmouth fly fishing float in my September. But my favorite cold weather activities are coming. As is my bent, this has my head spinning so I'm ready when the time comes. With that in mind, here are a few of the current projects:

1. I've been looking to upgrade my base layer bottoms for skiing. It's time to leverage technology and get into the new millenium. So I have a pair of CW-X Stabilyx Insulator 3/4 tights on order. I'm hoping these will enable me to ski without an additional knee brace, and will provide some solid muscle support.
2. Scored a deal (I love the off-season; $57 shipped free!) on some SWEET lime green Marmot Motion ski pants to match the new coat I picked up last year. I've been looking to get out of dullsville and step up my look a bit. Rather than shredding them with my crappy, toothy $7 clip-on hunting suspenders I'm putting in some Duluth Trading suspenders using real buttons. We're finally doing it up right.
3. Considering a boat net for steelheading. The Fisknat Grande Ronde is the current leading candidate. I have a Fisknat trout net and it's sweet. No more beaching. It's just not nice.
4. Looking at an oar upgrade for the Clacka. Sawyer Dynelite Square Tops are the current leading contender. Everyone I talk to says the difference from the Cataracts that came with my boat will be "life changing". I want to row the flywater of the Pere Marquette, so I think this will definitely help my manueverability and make a long day in the rower's seat shorter.
5. The boat bag is on the workbench, ready for the Summer-Winter switchover. Goodbye smallmout and trout gear, hello STEELHEAD!!!!!
6. I'm thinking about guns. I think this year, my Kimber 1911 is going to get a few upgrades. I've started a discussion with a gunsmith about the best bang for my buck in upgrades (bad pun intended).

Beyond this, some important issues have already been handled:

1. After breaking the winch strap on my trailer, a new heavy-duty repacement has been installed. And at the sage advice of Jon Ray, a back-up is in my tow box.
2. Winter boat storage has been secured. Parking in the garage is driveway is swell and all -- until you have to scrape.
3. Cycling season has given me a solid level of both cardio fitness and leg strength. Western ski slopes, be prepared...
4. I've started to transition from cycling to gym. Painful, but don't want to lose the fitness (and weight loss) base I've built.
5. Starting to tie up some cool swing flies. Greg Senyo's Artificial Intelligence and Slim Shady will be key this year.

So, yeah, I'm kind of fired up for the cold. Bring it!!!!

Swing a Big Stick

Great video featuring some of Michigan's top (and coolest) guides fishing the new Scott T3h two-hand rod. Check out Jon Ray, Brad Petzke, and Kevin Feenstra fishing this cool new stick. Great work capturing it on film comes from Erik Rambo of Snap-T Productions.

Go-To Gear - Part I

Last night I'm walking the dog as the weather goes from rain to snow all snug in one of my primary pieces and I realize that I truly have some Go-To favorite pieces of gear. So, I thought sharing some of these items might help others find some truly cool products.

Simms Windstopper Fleece Hoody
The garment that inspired this post. After picking it up on a whim, one of the things I grab without even a thought. Despite its fairly light weight, totally windproof. Winds of 20+ with gusts to 40mph last night and I'm snug as a bug. Also fairly warm. And best of all the cut always seems just right - nicely able to layer things under it (see Patagonia Nanopuff next item), but not overly baggy. Of course, like all Simms products with hoods, the hood is freakin' awesome. Yeah, it's $250. And it's worth twice that. Just buy one. Mine's black, like it should be -- picks up some nice solar energy when the sun pops out for a little extra warmth.

Patagonia Nanopuff Pullover
One thing first -- it's Patagucci, so it isn't cheap. But the reason is simple: it works and its warm. I once had a well-known Patagonia Ambassador tell me, "When I want to be really warm in miserable weather, only Patagonia will get it done." And I have to say I concur. Mine's the ultimate insulation layer for a pretty broad range of conditions. Last Fall I spent several full 30ish degree days out swinging in the Pere Marquette river with just a base layer and my Nano on top. Warm, dry and toasty. Didn't even need a shell or other top layer. Coolest feature? It stuffs into the chest pocket making it an easy extra layer to throw in your pack. My only criticism is the standard, goofy, "you never quite know" Patagonia sizing. Mine's an XXL because I needed it across the shoulders. Definitely a garment you want to try on before you buy it. If you like this one, but need something for colder temps, try the Down Sweater Full-Zip Hoody. And, yeah, I have one of those, too. I gave the Nano the edge as I find appropriate for a broader range of conditions.

Nordica Speedmachine 10 Ski Boots
I've owned a lot of ski gear, including boots. Remember the old Hanson VF101's? Top-entry? WTF was that all about? Had a pair for several years and could NEVER get them to fit right. I've had Lange ZRs, Nordica 981's, and a few others. But nothing compares to how happy I am with these boots. Great stiffness, comfy all day, and fantastic energy transfer. They're certainly not high-end race boots - which is fine by my middle aged skiing preferences - but they've got plenty of go. While the boots were pretty great out of the box, HUGE credit goes to bootfitting wizard Rob Parent, one of the owners of Sun & Snow Sports here in Ann Arbor, MI. Rob's one of the best in the Midwest, if not the country. If you want happy feet, go see him. He spent a bunch of time on mine, including custom orthotics that made a HUGE difference worth far more than the modest cost.

Columbia Stuttgart Boots
Fishing buddy and guide extraordinaire Jon Ray turned me on to the merits of duck boots for boat-based Winter steelhead fishing. Warm. Dry. Comfy all day. What more could you want? Turns out they're even good for duck hunting -- whodda' thunk it? I have no clue if these are the best. They were on sale and they fit me great. I love 'em.

Scott A4 Fly Rods
I own two A4's -- a 6-weight and a 7-weight. They're some of my most-used sticks. 100% made in America, even have Michigan-based ownership. I like that. But what I like the best is how they improve my casting and presentation skills. My 6 is awesome for terrestrials, nymphing, dries. But when the streamers or poppers bust out for trout or smallmouth, the extra oomph of the 7 is just right. Though I have several of the previous generation A3 and even an A2, the 4 series are a definite step forward. Looking for a great rod but don't want to spend a fortune? Check 'em out.

So there you are - five of my faves. Stuff that's so good I never give it a thought. In my book, that's great gear.

-Sean-

Can Fish Climb Trees?

I promised some updates from recent steelhead fly fishing antics. On December 30th, I had the good fortune to spend the day in Capt. Jon Ray's boat. Due to some scheduling complexities it ended up just the two of us, so Jon joined in on the fishing fun. A string of unseasonably warm weather made for a productive and entertaining day.

The highlight of my day, and perhaps the 2011 steelhead season, was the Tree Fish.

We set-up on a hole on the Manistee river beneath a large tree. Naturally as my indicator drifted under the tree, it happened - Bob Down! Thwap! A quick hookset and I was off to the races with a solidly hooked steelhead.

But just fighting the fish and landing it would be too simple for me. Now, I've got the line tangled in the low-hanging tree. Fortunately, the bowed limb is putting enough pressure on the fish to keep him on. Jon and I have shared a boat a fair bit, and we've seen some chaos. So he calmly jumped up on the back deck and sent me scrambling for the anchor control. I moved the boat down to the tree as Jon untangled the line. As soon as it was free, I plunged the rod tip into the river to keep the line free. Awesome -- still FISH ON!

Sensing possible freedom, my fish makes a run for it. So I let him have some line. Meanwhile, Jon's extracted the boat from the tree and we're back out in the river channel.

But does the story end here with a simple netting, a quick pic and a release? Of course not...

20 feet below the first tree, is a second. And, this tree isn't just close to the water's surface, a significant portion is below. Just as Jon and I look downriver we see a fish jump on the downstream side of the second tree.

At this point, there's a long uncomfortable pause. Jon turns to me and offers, "I sure hope that's not your fish...". Of course, it was, so off we go again.

This time with all the tree below the water's surface, the only option is to shove the rod tip into the water and begin to muscle the fish out of the wood. Did I mention this was all on 6 pound tippet? Yeah, so we had that going for us.

Somehow with a little fancy rod work, I manage to extract the the fish. Jon puts on his best display of netsmanship with a one-scoop score and we boat a colorful specimen. After a few pictures and a careful release, it is decided that perhaps it is time to explore the beer I have in my cooler...

-Sean-